Transcontinental railroad workers.
Building the first transcontinental railroad.
Transcontinental railroad workers. 6 days ago · The Linda Hall Library Transcontinental Railroad website was created with generous support from the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) Foundation. For seven days, the Chinese workers remained at the The transcontinental railroad was the first railroad to connect the East and West coasts of the United States. Oct 21, 2019 · Traqueros ('track workers') were Mexican and Mexican American laborers who were instrumental in the building and expansion of the railroad throughout the U. Between 1864 and 1869, thousands of Chinese migrants toiled at a grueling pace and in perilous working conditions to help construct America's first Chinese immigrant workers played an indispensable and prominent role in the profound socioeconomic transformation of the United States in the late 19th century. more important. At Golden Spike National Historical Park we strive to provide an inclusive telling of the building of the first transcontinental railroad. From 1863 to 1869, Central Pacific hired roughly 15,000 Chinese laborers—enduring long journeys across the ocean from China to California—to complete the Summit Tunnel at Donner Pass. Building the first transcontinental railroad. It made the Western U. Furthermore, the story of Chinese laborers on the Transcontinental Railroad has become an important part of discussions surrounding immigration, race, and identity in the United States. The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford (CRRW) seeks to give a voice to the Chinese migrants whose labor on the Transcontinental Railroad helped to shape the physical and social landscape of the American West. By the summer of 1868, 4,000 workers, two thirds of which were Chinese, had built the transcontinental railroad over the Sierras and into the interior plains. Chang and Shelley Fisher Fishkin (Stanford University Press, 2019), had to be significantly truncated. They are given names, family lives, homes, spiritual beliefs, and agency. The pay disparities and working conditions of Chinese railroad workers and immigrant workers. Hart. The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad spurred the settlement of the American West and created huge economic opportunities for the United States. Their work on the first transcontinental railroad spurred the rapid growth of the American economy, and also provided the foundation for a transpacific cultural and socioeconomic network of migration, labor, and commerce. It opened up the West […] Many of us know of the Transcontinental Railroad—a significant venture in United States history when an expansive railway system was built to connect our country in ways people could only imagine. At that time the United States did not hold outright possession of land west of the Rockies, though it exercised joint occupation of the Oregon Country until 1846, when under a treaty with Britain it gained possession of the Pacific coast Apr 30, 2025 · Historians are confident that African American workers contributed to the completion of the monumental efforts of completing the Transcontinental Railroad. They explore the workers’ grueling labor, unjust conditions, and the xenophobia and racism they endured while shaping U. May 14, 2019 · It’s been 150 years since two railroads were joined together to form the first Transcontinental Railroad. The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project seeks to give a voice to the Chinese migrants whose labor on the Transcontinental Railroad helped to shape the physical and social landscape of the American West. The California State Railroad Museum has set out to Apr 22, 2019 · In the first of 5 articles about the Transcontinental Railroad anniversary, descendants of Chinese railroad workers share their hope for the recognition of their ancestors' labor. Workers drove spikes into mountains, filled the holes with black powder, and blasted through the rock inch by inch. Celebrate the 150th anniversary of its completion and learn about Chinese immigration. Chinese railroad workers Niles Canyon Railway is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad by hosting a bilingual exhibit honoring the achievements of Chinese workers in building the Central Pacific Railroad using historic photographs of the railroad’s construction contrasted with contemporary photos. On May 10, 1869, the two railroads were to meet at Promontory, Utah in front of a cheering crowd and a band. Abraham Lincoln and the Transcontinental Railroad. The Chinese workers’ contribution to this historic task has been extensively overlooked by American mainstream society. By considering historical narratives on the same subject from two different online resources, students will practice combining historical information from multiple sources through notetaking and answering critical thinking questions. As many as 20,000 Chinese were recruited during the building of America’s first transcontinental railroad. May 10, 2019 · The First Transcontinental Railroad Irish workers and labor is being honored on May 10, 2019, on the 150th anniversary of the “Golden Spike. The Transcontinental Railroad was a landmark accomplishment that linked the East Coast to the West. While the Transcontinental Railroad Company provided the largely Irish workers on the eastern section of the railroad with free meals and housing, they forced the Chinese workers on the western section to supply their own. After the completion of the railroad they worked in a variety of positions, including firemen, engineers, porters, dining car waiters, and station ushers. However, the laborers who made this impressive undertaking possible are often forgotten and still not fully understood. The construction of later transcontinental, branch, and regional railroads heavily depended on the expertise of Chinese veterans of the CPRR, providing steady employment at a time when Chinese immigrants were May 10, 2019 · Many men lost their lives constructing the transcontinental railroad; estimates range from 150 to 2,000. Oct 16, 2025 · Railroad - Transcontinental, Expansion, Industry: The first public proposal for such a line was made by the New York City merchant Asa Whitney in 1844. A crowd converged, and within minutes the event was frozen in time as one of the most familiar images of the American West. Their labor saved the foundering Central Pacific Railroad, challenged by building a rail line through the Sierra Nevada. May 10, 2019 · Building the Transcontinental Railroad: How 20,000 Chinese Immigrants Made It Happen At first railroad companies were reluctant to hire Chinese workers, but the immigrants soon proved to be vital. Beginning in the 1860s, thousands of Chinese laborers were recruited to work on the Central Pacific Railroad, which aimed to connect the eastern and western United States. That year, we witnessed unprecedented nationwide recognition of the instrumental role of the Chinese in constructing the The transcontinental railroad also sped trade, communication, and helped to unite the nation. Stanford University Due to space limitations, many of the end notes in “The Chinese as Railroad Workers after Promontory” by Shelley Fisher Fishkin in The Chinese and the Iron Road: Building the Transcontinental, edited by Gordon H. It's one of several notable works in recent years that explores the lives of the immigrants who built the U. By mid-1864 only 50 miles of track had been laid, grueling work that dissuaded its white workforce from going any The transcontinental railroad was built in six years almost entirely by hand. [2] The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project seeks to give a voice to the Chinese migrants whose labor on the Transcontinental Railroad helped to shape the physical and social landscape of the American West. Ryan Kennedy, “Zooarchaeology, Localization, and Chinese Railroad Workers in North America,” Historical Archaeology 49, no. Union Pacific Railroad. Construction on the Transcontinental Railroad began on January 8, 1863 in Sacramento, when workers for the Despite inequal treatment, many Chinese workers stayed in the railroad industry after the completion of the transcontinental railroad. It led to faster transportation and increased westward expansion, opening doors for immigrants and settlers in the American West. The building of the first transcontinental railroad required 6 years to complete and thirty-thousand workers who were primarily immigrants. Ryan Kennedy et al. Most of these were Chinese Americans. 1. ” On May 10, 1869, the 1,776 mile First Sep 4, 2019 · Here are some of the ways that the first transcontinental railroad—and the many other transcontinental lines that followed it—changed America. history. [7] The Chinese-American population expanded vastly during the production of the railroad; between 10 and 15 thousand Chinese-American workers were employed by Central Pacific during the peak of In this inquiry you will use primary sources to compare and contrast the hardships faced by Chinese and Irish railroad workers, including conditions they faced in Utah. Thousands of Chinese workers helped build it, but their faces were left out of photos from that historic day. Apr 28, 2024 · Irish labor built the Union Pacific railroad (UPRR) over the Great Plains. By the 1870s, Truckee’s white residents organized boycotts and violent expulsions, culminating in The project's contractor, raised the workers' monthly wages four dollars — to $35 a month — in hopes that news of the increase would attract more workers to the summit. The Transcontinental Railroad contributed to and changed America in so many ways. A temporary exhibit on the people who built the Transcontinental Railroad through Utah--specifically the large population of Chinese-American workers. Apr 9, 2019 · In two upcoming books, researchers with Stanford’s Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project detail the story of Chinese migrants who helped construct the First Transcontinental Railroad Apr 29, 2025 · Laborers & Rocks by A. Students will compare the treatment between Irish and Chinese workers on the transcontinental railroad. Nov 30, 2022 · In the railroad camps, many of the men ate better than they ever had back home in southern China. This initiative was launched in 2014 on the occasion of the 145th anniversary of the completion of the United States’ first Transcontinental railroad. Much of the growth can be attributed to the building of the transcontinental railroads. The competing arms of the transcontinental railroad America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the " Pacific Railroad " and later as the "Overland Route") was a 1,911-mile (3,075 km) continuous railroad line built between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U. The wealth that enabled Leland Stanford to found Stanford University was, to a large extent, the result of his being an owner of the Central Pacific Railroad, the Western portion of the first Transcontinental Railroad across the United States May 10, 2019 · Before highways, planes, trains and automobiles made crossing the United States a breeze, the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869 was a defining moment in the country’s Aug 12, 2024 · Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University (史丹福大學北美鐵路華工研究工程網址) - main site for the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project, giving a voice to those Chinese who worked on building the transcontinental railroad. The last straw for the overworked, underpaid Chinese The contributions of Chinese American railroad workers changed the course of American history. Before the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln had called the railroad the country’s most important goal. The project Mar 25, 2021 · Leland Stanford, a major investor in the Central Pacific Railroad, despised Chinese labor, but he hired thousands of Chinese workers when construction of the Central Pacific line began in 1863. Chinese workers’ isolation in temporary work camps, scattered along the line of railroad construction, bound them to relationships cementing their control. The Project, co-directed by Professors Gordon H. The establishment of monuments, such as the Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial in California, serves as a testament to their enduring legacy. The railroad was six years in the making, with the physical labor conducted largely by Irish and Chinese Sep 12, 2018 · The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University seeks to give a voice to the Chinese migrants whose labor on the Transcontinental Railroad helped to shape the physical and social landscape of the American West. Their labor saved the foundering Central Pacific Railroad, challenged by building a rail Introduction Chinese workers were an essential part of building the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR), the western section of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States. They lived in segregated Students will explore the stories of the California Chinese railroad workers who built the western half of the Transcontinental Railroad. Through their efforts, a previously For the construction of the transcontinental railroad, a total of 20,000 Chinese workers were involved, and around 1,200 Chinese workers died of avalanches, explosions, and accidents when establishing the railroad in the region of Sierra terrain near Donner Summit. At a ceremony in Utah, Chinese railroad workers were recognized for the pivotal role A freight train passes through Palisade Canyon in Nevada. Railroad maps, 1828 to 1900. The completion of the Railroad was transformative, shortening travel time between New York and San Francisco from up to six months to less than a week. The Project coordinates research in the United States and Asia in order to create an on-line digital archive available to all. 1 (2015): 124-25. What Archaeologists Are Learning About the Lives of the Chinese Immigrants Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad In the sparse Utah desert, the vital contributions of these 19th-century laborers Stanford’s American Studies Program has been the home of The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford since its inception in 2012. From 1864 to 1869, somewhere between ten thousand and twenty thousand of these immigrants were responsible for a major part of the western construction of the transcontinental railroad, which spanned the country from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast. S. In 1867, 3,000 Chinese workers held a labor strike. This guide provides selected print and electronic resources for those doing historical research on the railroad industry. The United States’ first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, primarily at the hands of Chinese immigrants. Jan 18, 2019 · Thousands of Chinese workers built the Transcontinental Railroad. Understanding May 10, 2014 · America's first transcontinental railroad was completed with a golden spike 145 years ago. [2] The workers in the Chinese project were literate and well This paper examines the methods by which Chinese immigrants involved with the construction of the first transcontinental railroad maintained cultural ties to their native China, as well as the changes they made to adapt to their new surroundings. During the 1880’s, the annual amount of freight that the railroad transported was worth around $50 million 3 days ago · A Chinese Immigrant Recalls the Dangers of Railroad Work From the 1860s to the 1880s, thousands of Chinese immigrants found work in railroad construction in the West, notably on the Central Pacific line of the First Transcontinental Railroad, which was built primarily by Chinese. Change and Shelley Fisher Fishkin (Stanford University Press, 2019), 143. This bibliographic essay supplements the references The 150th anniversary of connecting the First Transcontinental Railroad was commemorated in a two-day celebration in a remote spot in the Utah desert called Promontory Point, where the final spikes connecting the track’s east and west branches were hammered into place on May 10, 1869. Lorin Farr accepted a contract from the Central Pacific Railroad for the construction of the roadbed from Nevada to the east. , from the mid- to late-19th century until the early- to mid-20th century. The site offers visitors a brief history of the building of the transcontinental railroad as well as information on the history and technology of 19th century railroads. On June 19th, 1867, a massive tunnel explosion killed one white worker and five Chinese workers. Nov 19, 2024 · Chinese immigrants sacrificed to create America's first transcontinental railroad. Its completion may have contributed to a backlash that led to the first major immigration clampdown in U. It facilitated a far-reaching scale of domestic commerce and international trade. Chinese workers played a crucial role in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1860s, contributing significantly to a project that connected the eastern and western United States. Handcarts moved the drift from cuts to fills. 8” Photograph shows Chinese railroad worker with a shoulder pole. Jul 24, 2023 · Asian migration to America began with Chinese railroad workers on the transcontinental railroad (1862-1869). They faced harsher work conditions and lower pay than their White counterparts. 21 J. However, not all are aware of what went into constructing such a large undertaking and what it cost a specific group of people—Chinese workers. In 1862, Congress passed the Pacific Railway Act, which authorized the construction of a transcontinental railroad. The contribution of Chinese immigrants to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad in the mid-19th century is one of the most remarkable chapters in American history. The Railroad Act of 1862 put government support behind the transcontinental railroad and helped create the Union Pacific Railroad, which subsequently joined with the Central Pacific at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869, and signaled the linking of the continent. The wide variety of interdisciplinary, international, and collaborative perspectives—from archaeology to family history—is Asian migration to America began with Chinese railroad workers on the transcontinental railroad (1862-1869). In recent years efforts by various organizations like the Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association (CRWDA) have aided in bringing to light many previously unknown stories. Video by Union Pacific Railroad “Heading of east portal Tunnel No. ’ But their sacrifices are Jun 6, 2015 · The Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) Museum introduces our Work of Giants: Chinese Railroad Worker Project. Apr 6, 2020 · Railroad workers’ corporate wages supplanted the shared profits of miners in the gold fields. The research is astounding. By mid-1864 only 50 miles of track had been laid, grueling work that d … Mar 20, 2001 · The rail line, also called the Great Transcontinental Railroad and later the "Overland Route," was predominantly built by the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California (CPRR) and Union Pacific (with some contribution by the Western Pacific Railroad Company) over public lands provided by extensive US land grants. Chinese railroad workers in North America Project. Apr 24, 2019 · In the second of five articles to mark the Transcontinental Railroad anniversary, NBC News looks at who the Chinese railroad workers were and what happened to their history. In Truckee, some found work in lumber mills or service industries, while others established businesses like laundries and restaurants. Chinese railroad workers were instrumental to creation of America's first transcontinental railroad between 1863 and 1869. In this lesson, students will learn the history of this strike, the largest at the time in Between 1871 and 1900, another 170,000 miles were added to the nation's growing railroad system. The construction of the Transcontinental Railroad had dire consequences for the native tribes of the Great Plains, forever altering the landscape and causing the disappearance of once-reliable wild game. Chauncey West was given charge of the Central Pacific's construction project. The coordinators of the oral interviews, Connie Young Yu and Barre Fong, conducted nearly fifty interviews from early 2013 through Spring 2018. Jan 29, 2021 · Many of the workers on the Transcontinental Railroad, and especially those working under Charles Crocker and the Central Pacific, must have breathed a sigh of relief as they made their way out of the harsh environment of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Workers of the Central Pacific Railroad: Chinese peasants from the Canton Province began arriving on California's shores in 1850, pushed by poverty and overpopulation from their homeland — and The Chinese Railroad Workers (1865 — 1869) From 1865-1869, 12,000 Chinese immigrants constructed the western section of the transcontinental railroad – one of the greatest engineering feats in American history. The transcontinental railroad Apr 2, 2024 · Impact on American History and California The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad greatly impacted American history and California’s development. transcontinental railroad. The Bill Lane Center for the American West is a cosponsor of the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project, which endeavors to uncover the stories of thousands of Inside this ebook, the author details a lot of issues with the original construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, which was helpful to us in our Construction section where we detailed the cuts workers made to ensure the timely completion of the rail. These resources highlight the contributions of Chinese railroad workers during the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad (1863-1869). Bridges, including one 700 feet long and 126 feet in the air, had to be constructed to ford streams. Usually a joint venture between a state or local government and private interests, railroads were expected to generate fair returns for public and private investors, but their ultimate goal was Apr 20, 2010 · In 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act chartered the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad Companies, tasking them with building a transcontinental railroad that would link the United States Asian migration to America began with Chinese railroad workers on the transcontinental railroad (1862-1869). The extreme danger of this work is suggested by this excerpt from Chinese American Voices, in which a railroad Forgotten Workers: Chinese Migrants and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad” is on view from May 10, 2019, through spring 2020 at the National Museum of American History. May 7, 2019 · This week marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Transcontinental Railroad, the first continuous railroad line from California to the East Coast. Anti-Chinese sentiment was a continuing problem. "By 1866, however, the great race was on between the Central Pacific Railroad, which was charged with laying What can the transcontinental railroad teach us about anti-Asian racism? Chinese immigrants helped achieve ‘one of the greatest engineering feats in U. Due to the American Civil War, work was delayed for several years. , “The Health and Well-Being of Chinese Railroad Workers,” in The Chinese and the Iron Road, edited by Gordon H. Digital Public Library of America. The building of this rail line was a huge project to connect a transcontinental railroad. The contributions of Chinese railroad workers and immigrants to the economies of the United States and their home countries abroad. Nov 30, 2022 · Inside the Diet That Fueled Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Workers Denied the free meals of their Irish counterparts, Chinese laborers learned to thrive on their own. Some estimate that nearly one thousand Chinese workers died during construction. Stanford University. Work on the first transcontinental railroad began after President Abraham Lincoln approved the Pacific Railway Act of 1862, a revolutionary law that allowed federal aid to assist in the payment of the railroad (Western). Library of Congress. May 14, 2019 · 150 years ago this month, one of the most famous photographs in American history commemorated the completion of the transcontinental railway. However, the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR), which blasted and tunneled its way through granite in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains—was primarily built by Chinese immigrants after white workers backed out due to dangerous working conditions. Feb 11, 2023 · The transcontinental railroad interrupted customary movement patterns and decreased access to resources, while the spread of diseases carried by railroad workers harmed Native American tribes even more. Following the implementation of the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), Chinese immigrant labor - central to the construction of the transcontinental railroad (1869 "The long-awaited The Chinese and the Iron Road makes visible the previously invisible Chinese railroad workers who built America's first transcontinental railroad. Railroads have played an important role in both the geographic and economic development of America. , and headed In June 1867, two thousand Chinese Transcontinental Railroad workers participated in a general strike (a collective action) for a week along the Sierra Nevada range, demanding better working conditions. That started a labor strike, one of the largest in America history up to that point. Most important, it offers full text access to the Linda Hall Library’s Explore what Chinese laborers experienced during the construction of the 1,776-mile Transcontinental Railroad, which sought to link travel between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa, with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay. Jun 21, 2017 · On June 25, 1867, thousands of Chinese railroad workers staged a strike to demand equal pay to white laborers, shorter workdays, and better conditions. Their efforts, which connected the western United States to the eastern United States, laid the foundation for the extraordinary economic prosperity enjoyed by the United States in Chinese Railroad Workers The following information is an excerpt of a brochure created specifically for the Sesquicentennial celebration of the Transcontinental Railroad at the Golden Spike Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah in May 2019. Students will investigate the discrimination faced by Irish workers and why. Despite their massive May 23, 2019 · A years-long research project works to recognize the contributions of 12,000 Chinese railroad workers who helped build the First Transcontinental Railroad. 17, Cal Performances is presenting American Railroad by Silkroad Ensemble. Chinese laborers made up roughly 80% of the workforce of the Central Pacific Railroad company, yet their contributions to the Transcontinental Railroad are often overlooked. Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association. The Chinese workers’ contributions to the railroad had a significant effect on American society, as they Transcontinental Railroad & Summit Tunnel From 1865 to 1869, Chinese railroad workers built the Transcontinental Railroad through the Sierra Nevada mountains. 1865 Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress May 10, 2019 · The nation’s first transcontinental railroad, completed 150 years ago today at Promontory Summit in Utah, connected the vast United States and brought America into the modern age. Alfred A. However, virtually no records exist. Oct 8, 2021 · Chinese immigrant workers and Indigenous tribes paid a particularly high price. May 8, 2025 · Post Transcontinental Railroad After the Golden Spike ceremony in 1869 many laborers dispersed across the West. In June of 1867, Chinese workers constructing the transcontinental railroad returned to their tents and refused to work until their wages were raised to a white man’s wage of $40 a month, workdays were shortened to 10 hours, and working conditions improved. "The 1860s saw the opening of the West and the construction of the nation's first transcontinental railroad. Leland Stanford was President of the Feb 28, 2019 · Importance of The Transcontinental Railroad In the 1850s, major railroad projects were viewed as projects for the public good, in much the same way we justify public investment in airports and highways. Today, you can still explore the heritage sites connected to the railroad in the Tahoe National Forest at Donner Pass. Hart Photographer. The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford is finding ways to give the workers a voice through interviews with families who trace their lineage in China and North America to the Chinese who helped build the railroad. 22 J. Nov 13, 2023 · On Nov. Mormon Railroad Workers DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES KUED-7 Salt Lake City, Utah Educational Television On May 10, 1869, two steam locomotives chugged across a barren landscape in northern Utah until they stood nose-to-nose. [1] By 1867, the Central Pacific Railroad workforce was composed of 80-90% Chinese laborers and the rest were European-Americans. But where are the Chinese workers who played a key role in building the railroad? While Chinese working on the First Transcontinental Railroad were often tasked with more dangerous work and longer hours than white workers, they made less than half the wages of their white counterparts and had to cover the cost of their food. economic development. On May 10, 1869, a team of Chinese workers for the Central Pacific Railroad and a team of Irish workers for the Union Pacific Railroad lined… Empire's Tracks boldly reframes the history of the transcontinental railroad from the perspectives of the Cheyenne, Lakota, and Pawnee Native American tri. The Central Pacific started at Sacramento, Calif. [1] The rail line was built by three The nation’s first transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory, Utah. The great race to Promontory: the 150th anniversary of driving the Golden Spike. yzrwtbk3aare1x1dzzhwwo6liri5ydnc5wi